1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to oil reservoirs for vehicle transmissions, and more particularly to those having an in-pan filter.
2. Related Art
Vehicular transmissions are typically equipped with an oil pan mounted at the bottom of the transmission to serve as a reservoir for lubricating oil. It is common to incorporate a filter within the interior of the oil pan for cleaning the oil in the reservoir before being drawn back into the transmission. In some applications, the filter is provided as a separate, self-contained module having a filter medium encased by a filter housing which is supported off the floor of the pan. Other known constructions use the floor of the pan as a lower half of the filter housing and fix a cover permanently to the wall of the pan, with the filter medium being trapped between the cover and floor. In some cases, the pan and cover are made of plastics. The construction and assembly can be somewhat involved and require specialized equipment, fasteners, etc. to assemble the filter/cover structure to the pan.
It is an object of the present invention to simplify the construction and assembly of such oil reservoir systems.
An oil reservoir for a vehicle transmission constructed according to the invention includes an oil pan, a suction tube, and a filter cartridge. The oil pan has a floor. The suction tube has a lower end portion adjacent the floor that is formed with a fluid inlet to admit oil from the pan into the tube, and an upper end portion connectable to an oil pump for drawing the oil through the tube. The filter cartridge is disposed about the lower end portion of the suction tube in position to filter oil entering the inlet of the tube. The floor and suction tube include matable snap-together connecting structure securing the suction tube to the floor and capturing the filter cartridge on the suction tube.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method is provided for making an oil reservoir for a vehicle comprising forming an oil pan having a floor with connecting structure, forming a suction tube having an oil inlet at the lower end portion thereof and with connecting structure engageable in snap-lock relation with the connecting structure of the pan in response to pressing the connecting structures together. The method further includes disposing a filter cartridge about the lower end portion of the suction tube in position to filter oil entering the oil inlet. The lower end portion of the suction tube is pressed toward the floor of the pan with sufficient force to engage the connecting structure of the pan and tube with a snap-lock connection to secure the suction tube to the floor and to secure the filter cartridge on the suction tube.
The invention has an advantage of providing a simply constructed, easy to assemble and install oil reservoir for vehicles. The snap-together connecting structure provided on the floor of the pan and on the suction tube enable the suction tube and filter element to be assembled and then secured to the pan by simply pressing the tube into place with sufficient force to cause the connecting structure to snap together. No special tools are required and the assembly can be accomplished by hand or machine in a automated process.